Arroyo has numbers to win speakership

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, one of her closest allies and himself running for a House seat representing his province, says he believes Ms Arroyo will have the numbers if she wants to become Speaker. (Out of 260 House seats, she will need just a majority, or 135, to be installed as the chamber’s leader.)

According to a nationwide count made by the Philippine Daily Inquirer bureaus, Ms Arroyo will have at least 159 votes for Speaker if all her allies seeking House seats are elected.

Lawyer Avelino Cruz, who was deep in the heart of the Arroyo administration from 2004 to 2006 but is now with the Aquino-Roxas camp, said that there are signs all over the place of a possible attempt to extend Mrs. Arroyos term in office.